Japan
Rental and Leasing Business
Toyota launched its car rental business ahead of other industry players in the mid-1960s, and in the mid-1970s put in place the foundations for its car rental and leasing sales systems. In the decades that followed, the business has achieved rapid growth, backed by booms in Japan's leisure market and by fleet reduction efforts by businesses. Since the latter half of the 1990s, when the rental and lease markets entered an era of intense competition, Toyota has led the markets in meeting emerging needs by introducing online reservation systems and by increasing demand through rate revisions (major price reductions). Toyota currently operates 64 Rental & Leasing companies in Japan, and as of the end of December 2011 had a rental vehicle inventory of 101,000 units (+5% YOY) and a lease vehicle registry of 494,000 units (+3% YOY).
Number of Rental and Leasing Outlets
Major Developments
Year
|
Month
|
Events
|
---|---|---|
1966
|
August
|
Toyota enters the rental car business by establishing Toyota Rental Car Services Co., Ltd.
|
1968
|
March
|
Toyota Rent a Car Association launched
|
1970
|
November
|
Vehicle Operations Division establishes Vehicle Rental Section
|
1974
|
January
|
Toyota becomes franchiser
|
April
|
Toyota officially begins vehicle leasing operations, unifying names of all dealers as 'Toyota Rental & Leasing XX'
|
|
1975
|
November
|
Capital investment loan program (to support facilities expansion at dealers) commenced
|
1976
|
January
|
Toyota Five-Year Rental & Leasing Plan formulated
|
1977
|
October
|
Inventory/registry of rental and lease vehicles reaches 10,000 units
|
1978
|
October
|
Toyota Rental Card issued
|
1979
|
October
|
Combined inventory/registry (rental and lease) tops 30,000 units, achieving the five-year plan one year early
|
November
|
Overseas expansion commenced (Toyota Rent a Car established in Guam and Saipan)
|
|
1980
|
December
|
Activities to promote a uniform image of Toyota Rental & Leasing (logo, name boards, etc., revamped)
|
1982
|
July
|
Rental & Leasing Division established as independent organization
|
November
|
Combined inventory/registry tops 50,000 units
|
|
1983
|
January
|
0100 set as standard last four digits of telephone number
|
1984
|
October
|
Toyota Rent a Car credit card for consumers issued
|
1985
|
March
|
Leasing registry tops 50,000 units
|
1987
|
January
|
Toyota Rental & Leasing Medium-Term Plan (3 years) initiated
|
July
|
Combined inventory/registry tops 100,000 units
|
|
December
|
Non-operation charge (NOC) system introduced
|
|
1988
|
June
|
Introduction of TRL systems*1 at Rental & Leasing dealers commenced
|
November
|
Leasing registry tops 100,000 units
|
|
December
|
Standard operating guidelines for full-maintenance lease vehicles established
|
|
1989
|
January
|
Toyota Rental & Leasing Association merges with Toyota National Dealers' Advisory Council (TNDAC)
|
1990
|
April
|
Toyota Rental & Leasing Sendai, Hamamatsu, Kobe, and Shinokayama established
|
1991
|
May
|
Combined inventory/registry tops 200,000 units
|
July
|
Car rental rates revised
|
|
1992
|
April
|
Lease Sales Staff Step-Up Program introduced
|
1993
|
March
|
Introduction of TRL systems at all dealerships completed
|
April
|
Number of sales outlets tops 1,000
|
|
July
|
Leasing registry tops 200,000 units
|
|
1994
|
March
|
Step-Up Program receives Ministry of Labour certification
|
1995
|
January
|
Issuance of the Toyota Card and Toyota Rent a Car Business Member Card (TRBM) begins
|
April
|
First car navigation systems introduced
|
|
October
|
Car rental and leasing information posted on the Internet
|
|
1996
|
October
|
Online car rental reservations started
|
December
|
Combined inventory/registry tops 300,000 units
|
|
|
Introduction of 'heartful cars' for the disabled and elderly commenced
|
|
1997
|
July
|
Introduction of new ACT21 system*2 at Rental & Leasing dealers commenced
|
1998
|
April
|
Car rental rates revised
|
August
|
24-hour call center introduced for lease customers
|
|
August
|
Negotiation system for leasing profit management introduced
|
|
1999
|
January
|
Rent a Car Customer First Shop (CFS) program introduced
|
January
|
Combined purchasing system introduced for Rental & Leasing dealers to purchase select products
|
|
April
|
Business tie-up with Hertz Corporation
|
|
November
|
Online car rental reservation system enhanced
|
|
2000
|
January
|
Rental car campaign coordinated with release of new models commenced
|
January
|
Reservation Center and ACT systems integrated
|
|
April
|
Car rental rates revised
|
|
November
|
Introduction of ACT21 system at all dealerships completed
|
|
2001
|
April
|
Leasing registry tops 300,000 units
|
April
|
Standard interiors for rental cars introduced
|
|
August
|
Rental car monthly revenue exceeds 10 billion yen
|
|
October
|
TRBM program introduced
|
|
2002
|
January
|
Rent a Car CFS II program commenced
|
June
|
Toyota Car Management (TCM) Support, a fleet management support tool for business customers, introduced
|
|
2003
|
April
|
Short-term car rental inventory expansion program commenced
|
April
|
New maintenance scheme introduced
|
|
April
|
Combined inventory/registry tops 400,000 units
|
|
2004
|
October
|
Four Rental & Leasing companies in Shikoku region of Japan merge into two companies: Toyota Rent-A-Lease Higashi Shikoku Co., Ltd. and Toyota Rent-A-Lease Nishi Shikoku Co., Ltd.
|
October
|
Introduction of new NEO system*3 at Rental & Leasing dealers commenced
|
|
December
|
Rental car annual revenue reaches 100 billion yen
|
|
2005
|
October
|
Leasing registry tops 400,000 units
|
2006
|
April
|
Combined inventory/registry tops 500,000 units
|
June
|
Inventory of Welcab rental vehicles increased
|
|
July
|
||
2007
|
September
|
Rental & Leasing companies start 'children's emergency hotline' volunteer initiative
|
October
|
ETC capability made standard on all rental cars for commercial use
|
|
November
|
Toyota Car Sharing Club launched
|
|
November
|
Customer-sharing agreement made with Rakuten Travel, Inc.
|
|
2008
|
February
|
Introduction of NEO system at all dealerships completed
|
March
|
Car navigation system made standard on rental cars for commercial use
|
|
May
|
Dokodemo Net, a system for providing follow-up services at all Rental & Leasing affiliates across Japan, started on trial basis
|
|
October
|
Prius rental rate class revised
|
|
2009
|
April
|
Order system for regional, large-volume business customers introduced
|
April
|
||
May
|
Car navigation systems with English language setting introduced
|
|
May
|
Prius rental rate class revised
|
|
2010
|
January
|
R-GNT NEXT*4 implementation period commenced
|
March
|
G-BOOK BIZ launched; Telematics service marketed to improve Rental & Leasing fleet driving habits
|
|
April
|
Water Coat coating used nationwide
|
|
April
|
Rental & Leasing uniforms changed
|
|
October
|
New company serving regional, large-volume business customers, Toyota Fleet Leasing Co., Ltd., established
|
|
2011
|
April
|
Rent a Car CFS III program commenced
|
July
|
Car navigation system supporting four languages (Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean) launched
|
|
September
|
'My Usual Reservation' rental car service started
|
|
December
|
New rental car member system 'Raku Raku E-Member' started
|
- *1
- Features systemized operations at each outlet and consolidated management at the Head Office.
- *2
- Features systemized operations at each outlet
- *3
- Features integrated operations between Rental & Leasing outlets on a regional level and with other systems
- *4
- Three-Year Plan announced in autumn 2009; plan aimed to speed up ongoing networking initiatives, bring the car rental business back to profitability, and significantly increase the leasing business’s share of the market.